


The Order of Heroes

by Taranh



Category: Fire Emblem Heroes, Fire Emblem Series
Genre: Developing Friendships, Eventual Romance, Fate & Destiny, Fight Scenes, Internal Conflict, Longish chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-24
Updated: 2017-07-30
Packaged: 2018-12-06 06:05:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11594472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Taranh/pseuds/Taranh
Summary: Your average dorky girl is teleported to Zenith through some "glitch" with her tablet. With no clear way to return home, she joins the Order of Heroes and becomes the great hero of legend: the summoner.[A working novelisation of the game's story.]





	1. (Prologue)

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, this is my first fanfiction published on AO3. I have not written in some time, other than college papers, so I hope this helps me improve along the way. I'll add more tags as the story updates. Thanks to all who read. =]

This night was to be as every night before. Why would she believe otherwise? Her nightly routine, after saying her goodnights, seemed set in stone. After she chose her clothes for the day to come morrow, she decided to check on her tablet before heading off to her nightly shower.

She had a craving of sorts. As of late, she found herself involved in mobile games. None had captured her interest for long as she lacked the wallet to ever become more than a free-to-player. Browsing the app store bored her as she had tried almost every game app available. She sighed. Perhaps she should go back to reading at this rate...

Before her finger graced the home button, an image caught her eye in the recommended. She tapped it before even reading the app's name. She scrolled down to the review section... but, none would load. No preview images, either. She blamed her horrible internet connection. Scrolling back to the top, her eyes finally caught the app's name.

"'Fire Emblem: Heroes?'" She read to herself. "Must be like an... RPG character collection game?" She paused, debating. "...Eh."

She had tried one of those not too long ago. It, like many mobile games of late, did not hold her interest for long before she eventually uninstalled it. This one, she thought, probably would be the same way. Better to not waste her time... 

She laid her tablet on her spare bed pillow. She decided it was best take her shower now and forget about finding another mobile game to waste her time. She turned to face her door, taking a few steps towards it. She reached out a hand out to the knob.

She paused. 

"...What am I doing? I must have a problem if I'm getting addicted to these dumb mobile games." She twisted her head to the side to look back towards her lonely tablet. "But something..."

Her body moved on its own. It felt as if something was compelling to have just ONE more look at that new game she found... She felt like something or someone was nagging at her that first choice to ignore it was wrong? These thoughts confused her and yet her finger had already pushed on the power button.

Her screen was white. Must be a glitch, she thought. She tried restarting her tablet but despite her efforts, the reset would not happen. 

"I was just using you and now you decide to freeze, how awesome," she spoke to her lifeless machine.

"I summon thee!" her tablet voiced back at her. She jumped, dropping the machine on her mattress. 

"Wha-?" Here was the feeling again... For an instance, her hands gained their own mind and touched the white screen...

With a flash of light as if from a camera, she and her tablet were gone. Only the echoing chirps of the crickets outside her bedroom window remained.


	2. Chapter 2

It worked. It really worked. A legend with truth behind it, how delightful! The gods truly must have answered their prayers. Although... was this the summoner, this girl that had fallen from the portal the ancient artifact ripped out in the sky? Anna had expected something more... someone who appeared with more grace, more so.

"Oww..." the girl groaned as she stood up from falling flat on her face in the grace. She rubbed her chin and the back of her neck. Anna watched as the girl looked in all directions before finally noticing the one who brought her here. "Wh-who, what..." 

The girl was at a lost for words; Anna decided it was best to interrupt. "Oooh! You're here?" Anna smiled wide. "Then the ritual actually worked? Ahem... Oh great hero from another world! Thou hast come so far to fulfill your role in our legend! For our kingdom now stands on the very brink of ruin, and thou... And thou..." The girl starred at Anna completely dumbfounded. "...Hold on. Are you really our great hero? You don't look like the "thee-and-thou" type."

"Great hero!? Legend?? W-Where the heck am I!?" she shouted, her face as pale and stripped of almost all colour.

Anna expected that. With a chuckle, she continued, "What's that? You want to know where you are? And how you got here? Fair enough. You're in-"

The girl suddenly had a scared and shocked expression on her face. Her eyes were locked on something behind Anna. 

"FOUND YOU!" 

If the shout was not clear enough, the sound of clinking armour was a good indicator that they were no longer alone. Anna's right arm reacted quickly to grab her large axe just laying nearby and pushed the girl behind her, facing the foe running towards them. Even here? Embla must have caught word of what she had planned. And all before she had time to begin the tutorial! But now Anna had to protect the summoner so that she had a chance to understand why she was called in the first place. 

"Drat!" Anna spat, holding her trusty axe strong in a guarded stance. "How did one of those Emblians get here already?" She turned back to look at the girl cowering behind her. "Stand back! I'll take care of him somehow!"

The girl nodded silently. She really had to ask for her name after she took care of this problem, Anna thought.

Anna dashed head forward towards the enemy. No one knew axes as well as her. This amateur came at her with no thought put beforehand. He had opening all around; any person with some form of weapons training could see that fact, even a mere squire. He swung first at her, hoping to use the axe's length to Anna's disadvantage as Anna neared him. This choice was unwise; Anna had enough time to dodge the attack and counter, instantly taking the enemy down. She breathed out a loud sigh, touching the tip of her axe to the ground.

Seeing the enemy was no longer a threat, the girl approached Anna, eyeing the corpse with complete shock and fear in her eyes. It, too, like the enemy's attack, was easy to see.

"He was prepared to kill us. It had to be done," Anna turned to face her. "You are new to this, aren't you? Hard to believe that Breidablik chose someone so... inexperienced but who am I to question?" She smiled, trying to calm the girl's nerves. "Believe me, if I was your enemy, you would know!" Anna winked.

The girl nervously smiled in return. 

"Let me explain. First, your name's..."

"K-Kiran" the girl muttered as her eyes were going back and forth between Anna and her axe.

"Nice name!" Anna's compliment made Kiran feel more at ease. "My name's Anna. I'm the commander of the Order of Heroes. We believe that heroes should live free. Our enemies, however, enslave them! The fiends! You see, this realm, Zenith, has gateways to the worlds where heroes come from." Anna noticed Kiran's face of obvious confusion once more. "Have you heard of the World of Awakening? How about the World of Birthright? Or the World of Conquest? There are so many more!"

Kiran shook her head left to right. "No. The only worlds I know of are Earth... and well, I guess Venus, Mars-" 

"Really?" Anna questioned.

"Uh, yup" Kiran muttered. "These worlds you mentioned, though... The World of Awakening? Birthright? Conquest? And, and... heroes?"

Anna nodded. "Yes... the Emblian Empire invades those worlds and more, binding their Heroes to service. We, I mean the Order of Heroes including myself, fight for their freedom!" Anna looked briefly behind her to the lifeless enemy laying on the ground. "That soldier was from the Emblian Empire, which has be a constant headache for our kingdom of Askr. ...I was desperate for help, so I performed a summoning ceremony." Anna reached to her belt to reveal a white and gold coloured gun-like artifact. "And you just appeared out of nowhere. Lucky us! But there's no time to rest. We have to act fast if we're going to save our kingdom!"

"W-Wait...!" Kiran cried. "This is all too much! Save OUR kingdom? I've never even..." Her hands covered her head. She begged for this to be a dream. What did her parents once tell her? Pinch yourself? "OUCH!!" Nope. She could hear Anna sigh disappointedly. 

"Listen, Kiran," Anna seriously, but calmly started, "please let me explain." She guided Kiran over to a quieter place so they could talk more, away from the recently slain enemy. "Well, first things first!" Anna raised her spare pointer finger. "I summoned you here with the divine artifact Breidablik. According to legend, it can fire heroes out of it... but Breidablik doesn't look like any bow I've ever seen.... The legend also calls it "the true key," which, if raised high, will summon the great hero who can fire it. That's what I did. And now you're here." She handed the artifact to Kiran. "So it's all yours now."

The instant Breidablik had been placed in the palms of her hands, Kiran's heart raced. This ancient and holy artifact belonged to her. Something inside her told her this. Kiran was not of this world, yet denying that Breidablik and her connected instantly in that moment, that she felt a rush building her holding it, that the grip fit perfectly in her hand... 

Kiran gulped, knowing that this was all too real. Anna was real. Askr and these worlds of heroes were most likely very real as well... No longer was she simply going about her daily bedtime routine. No, her destiny was unfolding right here in front of her. Breidablik began to tremble in her hand as she realized this. Her palms were dripping in nervous sweats.

Anna placed a calming hand on her shoulder. "It looks like it was forged just for you! Isn't that just a curious coincidence? Hopefully, you can figure out how to-"

This brief moment of peace was once again interrupted by more of Embla's soldiers discovering them. Two of them this time.... Anna realized they overstayed their welcome in this place. She should have taken Kiran to the castle as soon as she slayed the first soldier. She once more took stance with her axe, pushing Kiran behind her. Getting to this place to perform the summoning had taken its toll on her and now, it seemed Anna was approaching her limit. 

She held her stance, never looking away from the approaching enemies as she spoke to Kiran. In the distance, she saw an archer and a well-armoured, towering knight. "More of those Emblian soldiers! I can't defeat both of them on my own and you're not equipped to help. Kiran, I need you to run while I hold them off. Take Breidablik, keep going east until-"

"What!? I-I can't just-"

Anna ran off in the direction of the enemy. She could not waste time arguing, she could only hope that Kiran would listen and run with Breidablik to safety.

Kiran panicked. First of all, she had no idea of what lied waiting in this world around her if she obeyed Anna and ran. Second, the only friendly face she knew had left her to buy her time to flee. She was in this realm for less than an hour and already someone was making sacrifices for her?

"Hooo! Hooo!!"

Shocked by the sudden noise, she anxiously tried to locate the origin of these calls. Owls existed in this world, too? Above her, a tiny white owl perched itself on her head. It had dropped these rainbow coloured orbs, five of them, in front of her toes. She bent down, picking them up in her hand; her eyes went to Breidablik.

"Should I..." She tried looking up at the owl still sitting happily on her head. "Are you giving me these for Breidablik?"

The owl cooed in response. Rainbow orb shaped bullets... Kiran had no time question it all; Anna, no her comrade, needed help and if Breidablik could fire "heroes" straight from it like it summoned her. Her legs ran on their own in the direction of the fighting. She had to hurry!

When she saw Anna barely holding off two soldiers on her own, she inserted the orbs and raised Breidablik, aiming right in the middle of the battle. While a second thought, she fired. Each orb were flung from Breidablik in a single shot. The orbs merged and formed into a portal. A figure leaped out from within as the portal closed behind them. The figure, holding a yellow tome, fired a beam of magical lightning towards one soldier, guarding Anna.

The fighting paused, Anna's mouth dropped and her eyes widened in complete shock. "Kiran summoned a hero! She just got and it and she already can use it!?" She smirked. Perhaps she is the great hero after all...

The newly summoned hero stood side to side with Anna as the two faced the remaining soldier who was still overwhelmed by what had occurred.

"I have no idea how I arrived here, but as we are in the middle of battle, now wouldn't be wise for introductions." The new hero spoke to Anna, raising his tome. "Let's go."

Kiran watched from nearby as Anna and their new comrade battled the enemy. She felt relief that Anna was now safe fighting along side a friendly someone who had experience with battle. She pondered, looking down at Breidablik, if summoning heroes was the only thing she could do... Looks like the owl was out of ammo to give her, too.

"Breidablik," she begged, "I can't sit here and do nothing!"

As if alive and understanding her plea, the artifact began to glow and projected a holographic layout of the terrain in front of her with her comrades and the enemy marked. Oddly, the projection hovered near her, connected by the artifact, and was the size of her tablet. She knew what to do. This was a method to convey battle tactics! She held Breidablik in her left hand as she used her right to control what appeared on the holographic projection.

Meanwhile, Anna and her newly summoned comrade continued battling the remaining soldier. He was no small enemy; this must have been the platoon's captain. Even with this new comrade, this fight was not going to be easy.

"Anna!" Kiran's voice out of thin air called to her. "Can you hear me?"

"Kiran!?" she shouted.

"Listen, Breidablik has given me the ability see everything that's going on! Trust me! I figured out something. His backside is his weakness; the armour is cracked. His spine is open. Knock him hard over from behind and he'll topple over! ....I'm not sure how b-but-" 

"Why didn't I see that earlier?" The new comrade murmured next to Anna. "She's right, I don't understand method by how she knew, but her strategy is sound. I'll distract him in the front to give you enough time to you run to his backside and strike."

Anna nodded. True, the strategy has its risks, but it was their best shot at toppling this threatening enemy. She dashed around the knight while her comrade distracted his attention away from her. As she prepared her strike, her weapon shined brightly.

"Night Sky!!" Anna cried as she slammed her axe into the knight's weak spot. He wobbled in place, trying to keep his stance, but it proved too much. He collapsed to the ground. "Whew!" she breathed a sigh of relief.

"You guys destroyed him!!" Kiran cried as she ran over as fast as her legs let her. Excitement radiated from her being. "Anna, you were like a deadly assassin using a critical strike!" She looked from Anna to their new comrade. "And... YOU! You can do magic!? That's so... awesome. Whoa. A-And I can't believe that strategy worked because... well, I kinda just said what came to mind and you two did it!"

This was... a different Kiran, Anna noted. Certainly unique. Askr's great hero who could summon heroes from all worlds from the ancient artifact, Breidablik. She had a eye for tactical strategy... However, she was new blood to war... but the legend was true so far, right? 

Wait.

Anna pointed to the fluffy bird perched on top of the summoner's head. "Kiran, is that an owl on your head?" 

"Oh!" Kiran chuckled. "Y-Yeah, the little guy gave me these rainbow-y orbs to use Breidablik. I don't know how he knew, but, he gave me the power to help you, Anna." Kiran looked towards their new comrade who had yet been given the chance to introduce himself. "And when I fired, you appeared."

Considering she did not want to question too much of miracle at the moment, Anna simply grinned. "We survived this battle, that's what matters.. Kiran, none of us in the Order of Heroes can summon or use your method of magically communicated tactics." She let out a laugh. "This proves you are the great hero! Our order is small, but I welcome you to our ranks." She reached out her hand to shake Kiran's. "Please, help us find more heroes to assist us. With Breidablik in your hands, I have no doubts that we'll win our fight against the empire!"

The newest member to an order of warriors, huh? Kiran's life had turned a complete 180 degrees from getting ready to go to bed to becoming a crucial "key" in winning a war against an opposing kingdom. With Breidablik in her possession, she knew she had to fulfill this role fate had suddenly thrown her way. She had no other choice. For now, she had to trust them. The gateway she popped out of was long gone, after all... 

"One request, Anna..." Kiran asked.

"What is it?" Anna answered.

"Do you... have any... spare clothes for me to wear?" Kiran cheeks flushed a deep red. "I'm, well, I'm still in my night gown..."

Anna laughed and winked at Kiran, holding her right pointer finger to her chin. "Oh, I believe I have the perfect outfit in mind..."


	3. Chapter 3

The small party of three arrived at the nearby Askran camp not long after their previous bout. Trying to take her new role with pride, Kiran had entered Anna's tent to change into her new clothes. War was not to be won in a night gown, although, it would make a great tale in the history books. 

Kiran looked to the mirror in front of her as she placed the final piece of the outfit around her body. Anna somehow knew her favourite colours. The outfit's base layer was a blue shirt paired with white pants. A wide, thick, red and brown belt ran around the waist; it was complimented by brown boots and red gloves. The outer layer was a robe with golden Askran designs. It had a cowl attached to cover her whole head. Kiran never felt more like a main character in one of those may RPGs she played than this moment. Breidablik lied on the table next to the mirror. She took it with her left hand and locked it to her belt.

"Kiran?" Anna chirped in from the tent's cover; she noticed that Kiran finished changing. "You know, it's as if that tailor I bought that from knew you perfectly! Hmm, although the coat is a tad bit big."

"Well... it's better than my night gown!" Kiran efforted to joke.

"Yes, how true! Now come with me, there is someone here that wants to meet you right away," Anna eyes drifted to the side as she lifted a hand to her chin, thinking. She muttered quietly, "And someone else by now but she hasn't--"

"What's that?" Kiran asked, interrupted the commander's outer thought.

Anna waved a hand carefreely. "Oh.... nothing."

Kiran exited the tent and walked through camp, following Anna's guide. The Askrian platoon stationed here eyed her with suspicious eyes. Kiran felt blood rush to her cheeks and her heart race. She covered her face with her coat's cowl. Back home, she never wanted to be in the army, the navy, or anything military and now she was the so called "great hero." She was the summoner who sole wielded the ancient gun-like artifact Breidablik to bring heroes from other worlds to their aide and guide them in battle using a holographic terrain projection. She had one battle under her belt, and suddenly she was considered the hope to this war. No wonder these soldiers question me, Kiran thought to herself.

Anna brought her to the largest and well-taken care of tent in the entire camp. It seemed nicer than even Anna's, the commander's tent and Kiran thought THAT was nice for a military tent. Even with Anna's invitation, Kiran felt uneasy.

Inside, a man dressed in white and gold Askrian armour stood reading a small book. Attached to the back of his armour was a cape that was white on the outside and blue on the inside. Decorative feathers adorned his left shoulder plate. Nearby a long sword lied against the wall in its decorated sheath, a shield with the Askran emblem paired alongside it. The man shut his book, laid it down on a nearby table, and approached the two women.

He greeted Anna immediately. "Commander!" Kiran caught his eye; she still hid her face under her cowl so he was unable to really see her. "Who is this with you? Wait, could it--"

Anna smiled and pushed Kiran slightly forward. "It is, Prince Alfonse! The legend is true. I raised Breidablik, and then Kiran appeared! Our great hero is here... and can use the divine artifact, too! As for what Breidablik shoots? It's truly wonderful. It fires heroes right out of it! Have you met Robin?"

This man was a prince? Holy crap... No wonder he had such a nice tent. Wow, Kiran, first you become a legendary summoner and next you are casually meeting the prince of the whole kingdom of Askr. 

"No, I have not had the chance." Alfonse directed his attention back to Kiran. "It's unbelievable... So you're our great hero come to us from another world... I am Alfonse, Prince of Askr and member of the Order of Heroes. A pleasure to meet you." 

Prince Alfonse... A pleasure to meet--wait--her face. She just met a prince and was hiding her face under her cowl. Was that rude? Oh gosh, of course it was! She pulled her cowl off so fast she thought she heard it slightly tear.

"A-A pleasure to meet you too, Prince Alfonse!!" She bent down on one knee. That's what they did in movies, right? This is how you greet royalty, right?

She heard Anna smack her forehead in shame. The prince offered Kiran his hand. Nope. That wasn't not the way to greet him. Totally just embarrassed herself in front of the prince. Great first impression. 

"No need for that, Summoner, please." Kiran took his hand; her face flushed red from embarrassment, nevertheless she resisted hiding under her cowl. Was there a rock nearby to cover her shame? "To be honest, some of our kingdom’s subjects objected when I joined this order. But I wanted to do my part. Still, there are others who say that I don’t behave quite like a prince ought to anyway..."

Anna smirked; those two just gave her an idea had on how to make some quick gold for their cause. It faded as quickly as it came as she remembered Alfonse asked her and Kiran to meet here immediately. "Prince Alfonse, you needed to tell us something urgent?"

His face changed to a serious expression, as well as his voice. "Yes. I have dire news. The empire has taken captured heroes from the World of Mystery. We need to make our way there to free them with haste!"

Anna nodded. "Yes, you, Kiran, Robin, and I will go. The platoon must still guard this location. A smaller party will work more efficiently."

"Agreed. And Commander Anna? There's one more thing. I spotted someone odd with during my last encounter with Emblian soldiers. A strange man." The prince's brow furrowed. "Not a regular imperial soldier nor a hero under their control." 

Anna, for once, looked stumped. "A strange man, you say? Did he appear to be allied with the Emblian Empire?"

Alfonse shook his head left to right. "I don't know. I've never seen him before. He wears a mask and keeps his face a secret even from them. We should-"

Suddenly, a scout rushed into the tent, stumbling into Kiran. Embarrassed and panicking, he apologized briefly before addressing Anna. To her surprise, Alfonse offered her a hand up. The prince who she promptly embarrassed herself. Great impressions all around, Kiran. Not meeting his eyes, she accepted his help. 

"Commander. Soldiers approach the camp within the hour. A small band," the scout spoke very quickly.

Anna thanked the scout, dismissing him to fetch their recently summoned comrade, Robin. "Prince Alfonse, I believe this will be the perfect opportunity to showcase our great hero's talent as a tactician. After we take care of this small annoyance, we'll return to plan our approach to freeing the captured Mystery heroes from Embla's control."

They barely had time to rest and here they were, ready to fight again. Kiran felt her stomach tighten. She felt sick. Is this how it would be? Constant battles? Would she be able to handle it all? Last time had to have been a fluke; she never even won a game of chess back home! She was really to be the tactician of this army? 

Her obvious nervous face was picked up by Alfonse. "I'm sorry to ask this of you so soon after we've met, but we have need of your help, Summoner."

Kiran breathed in a deeply. She felt Breidablik tremble at her belt, as if it responded to her fears. You're the great hero, Kiran. Start acting like it! Although, it was not as if she asked for the job...

She held onto Breidablik strongly at he side. "Prince Alfonse, Commander Anna, I'll think of a strategy to help us dispose of these guys ASAP!"

"ASAP?" Alfonse asked, bewilderment in his face.

Oh, yeah... that's right, people here would not understand that kind of talk. "O-Oh, it means, as soon as possible!" 

"Ah, I see!" Alfonse nodded his head. He reached to the sword and shield resting by the wall nearby. "Shall we, Commander?"

"Yes," Anna replied, "Let's meet with Robin and be on our way."

Anna sent the scout to retrieve their new comrade, Robin. Luckily, he agreed to stay in Zenith to aide with their cause. It reminded him of a previous conflict that occurred in his own world, the World of Awakening. For that reason, Robin chose to help in any way possible. A new challenge to test his talents in battle and tactics, he claimed. 

From the campsite, the party of four travelled to meet the enemy in the direction the scout had informed them. Kiran never was an active girl. In her world, she was a closet nerd that feared the sunlight. If you would ask her, she would compare going outside as taboo. Not only has she been outside for hours now, but she walked straight into another battle. An idea on the current time of day passed over head. No digital or analog clocks anywhere in this world. As she looked to the sky, she hoped nearby clouds covered the sun. Her baby soft skinned feet ached more than she liked. She tailed just behind Robin, exhausted. 

"Anna wasn't exaggerating." Robin slowed his pace to talk to her. "You are new to this kind of life. I was, too, once."

A small but embarrassed laugh escaped Kiran's mouth. "At least I'm not alone..."

"Yes," Robin grinned, thinking of a fond memory. "In fact, my commander once offered to carry me. Never again did I complain; the teasing from Lissa was more than I could handle."

Kiran laughed so loud, some tears wetted her eyes. "I wish I could have seen!"

Up near the front of their group, the prince found himself listening in on Robin and Kiran's conversation. The two seemed to click right away. How was Kiran able to open herself so easily to him? As a hero of another world, one day Robin would return to his world. Certainly, he thought, Kiran wished to return home, as well. Why bother to become more than comrades? 

Alfonse closed his ears to their chats. As prince, his people expected him to remain strong and steady in wartime. Becoming close to his comrades was not something he could afford. Once before he had lost a friend. That was a pain he did not wish to relieve, but something bugged at him as Kiran and Robin spoke to one another so casually. These feelings, he tried to crush them down. 

"There," Anna whispered, directing their small band to nearby bushes, "From here, we could plan a decent ambush before they reach camp." She turned to face their newly appointed tactician. "Kiran?"

The summoner nervously pointed a small finger at themselves. "Me?" Anna nodded with complete seriousness. "Um," Kiran reached to grasp Breidablik in her right palm, activating this area's holographic projection, "yes, from here, if we attack from our current position, we'll throw them off. Their own positioning will be messed up. If we're careful," she zoomed in to focus on the enemy's units, "we can take control of the situation. No archers or mages to worry about... Just infantry fighters, one axe, one lance, and one sword. Three of them, three of us... shouldn't be hard, right? But who should fight who...?"

"Hmm... this is a good example of the weapon triangle," Robin chimed into the conversation, "If I may add, we have an excellent balance in our group. An axe, a sword, and a tome. To be the most efficient, Commander Anna should face the lance, Prince Alfonse the axe, and I the sword from afar." 

Kiran nodded, admiration in her eyes. "Good plan, Robin, perfect idea!" Kiran pointed to their current position on her projection, "Alright, Anna will charge in from the upper left. Robin will take the upper right route. Prince Alfonse, you are left with the axe wielder to the lower right."

Everyone bobbed their heads in agreement. A set plan, a sound strategy. With Breidablik showing her everything that happening in the area, nothing should go terribly wrong. After positioning themselves, Anna gave the signal. As the fastest unit with shortest distance to his target, Robin barged in first, then Alfonse and Anna. The first blow from Robin's tome shocked the enemy, throwing their own positioning into chaos as Kiran had predicted. The easy knock out allowed Alfonse the chance to take his own opponent not far off from Robin's own target off guard and take him out. With her strength and power, Anna, too, took out her target with much ease; her axe cleaved her opponent's lance in two. The battle itself passed by quicker than a blink of an eye. From where she stood, Kiran smiled. A complete and total success! Not bad for her second real battle.

Excitement filled her entire body. She wanted to congratulate everybody. Her legs ran on their own volition from her safe spot behind the bushes to the open but clear battlefield. However, as soon she would learn, a tactician must never lower their guard. A masked man, riding a black mare way taller than her, appeared almost instantaneously in front her. Aa if he... warped through space? He bore a magic tome to his side. Although his face hidden away, his gaze never broke away from Kiran's waist where she wore Breidablik. The sudden forced Kiran to topple backwards on her rear. The horse reared high, almost landing its front hooves straight down on her legs.

A masked man... Alfonse mentioned someone like that back at camp. In her encounter with this stranger, her fear caused her to block out the rest of the world. Sure, she had Breidablik at her side, but she had no orbs left. No orbs, no summoning, no defense. What strategy was available to her now?

"Kiran! Hang on!" cried an undistinguishable voice in her fog of fear.

A line of lightning flashed in the direction of the mare, causing it to slightly panic. She heard the sound of what she believed to be a large weapon meeting flesh. A panicked neigh and galloping... Not having a total grasp on the situation, a figure dragged her body off the ground and stood a protective stance in front of her. "Come to your senses," the figure yelled to her.

The voice of her guardian broke through the thick fog. She saw the after effects of what occurred in front of her. To her right, Robin stood with his tome ready to fire at any moment. Anna had stuck the man's horse's torso from the side; although it barely cracked its armour, it caused the horse to panic and abandon its rider. Alfonse stood as her guardian, his eyes not leaving the gaze of the masked man. Her hand quickly drove to her belt. She prayed that Breidablik was left attached to its grip... Phew, it was safe.

"We have you backed into the wall" Robin stated bluntly with a bit of arrogance in his tone.

"Who are you, stranger?" Anna demanded. "Alfonse, this must be the masked man you saw!"

"You!" Alfonse growled. "Tell us, are you a soldier in the Emblian Empire? If so, then you stand on the side of evil. The empire shouldn't be interfering the worlds of heroes! Let alone enslaving them!" His voice dripped with rage. He tightened his hold on his sword which now bore a slight blue hue from its gemed hilt.

"Oh, really?" The masked man finally spoke; his voice deep and calm despite his current circumstance. "And I suppose you want us to close the gateways too? ...Hmph. In your dreams, little prince." His form began to fade, becoming transparent. His tome hummed a slight murmur.

Alfonse kicked off to catch him before his retreat. He swung his sword into the masked man's almost fully faded form, but the blade brushed it away like a fan to dust. 

"Get back here and answer for yourself!!" Alfonse slammed his blade into the ground. "Damn fellow... He's gone." He crossed his arms and turned to face his comrades, frustration painted all over his face.

"Are you unharmed, Kiran?" Robin asked, approaching her along with Anna. Still a bit shocked, Kiran silently nodded.

"Those gateways he mentioned..." Anna began. "They connect our world to all those where heroes live. The royalty of the Askran Kingdom, like Alfonse, have the ability to open these gateways."

Alfonse walked over to join the group, his sword returned to its sheath. "And the royalty of the Emblian Empire are able to close the gateways. Long ago, our two families worked in harmony to open and close these ways to other worlds. But then... Embla began using its power for evil, leaving all of the gates open. The empire began invading those worlds." He looked a bit distressed as he spoke his next sentence, "We cannot force the gateways shut. Only they can..."

Anna raised her right pointer finger, adding a slight wink. "We can fight them, however. That's why we Askrans formed the Order of Heroes: to stop the Emblians." Her expression returned to a more serious one. "Now, let's hurry to the World of Mystery. Alfonse... your sister has been on a scouting mission. I have yet to receive word from her; I fear that something may have happened."

"Where..." Kiran finally managed to speak. "Where is the gateway to this world exactly?"

"Nearby our campsite" Anna answered. "Let's go."

All the way back to campsite on foot after this ordeal? If only that mare was claimed for own their use... Kiran felt sad for the animal; most likely, it would die from that wound. Despite it being an enemy horse, Kiran felt a sting of guilt for its unfortunate fate. Its blood was splattered on the ground just a few feet in front of her. It was hurt because she froze with fear from an enemy. How could everyone just take this as normal? Had they no hearts?

Anna and Robin brushed past her, focused on the task at hand. Feeling a bit overstressed, Kiran slightly pulled her cowl over her head. She twisted around to follow their commander's march back to camp. How badly she missed home at this instance... 

"Kiran? If I may--" Alfonse's hand grazed her shoulder for a brief moment before retreating back as if her shoulder was a holy artifact he had not the permission to touch.

Kiran stopped but she was in no mood to talk. Her body had barely recovered from that shocking encounter and now she must immediately continue forth? Her eyes burned and her muscles stiff... "Yeah?"

"How are you faring?" he asked.

"F-Fine" Kiran answered, weakly holding herself back. She pulled her cowl lower, covering her eyes. "Let's find your sister."


	4. Chapter 4

Her inner thoughts plagued her every moment. How very real this situation became to her. She sat glued to a chair in Anna's tent by her lonesome except for her owl companion she named Feh. The commander allowed their small group a moment's rest to recover from the last Emblian encounter and from the masked man. Soon it would be dark outside; this very long day would soon come to an end. In this moment, Kiran begged for it end sooner, but she knew her duty. Anna or one of the others would call for her to embark on their mission to find the princess of Askr somewhere in the World of Mystery. Certainly another battle would happen; Kiran would be expected to guide them.

Her fists clenched tightly at the ends of her coat. Its cowl hung over her head, shielding her face. These new expectations she shouldered dropped down on her like solid concrete. Lives rested in her hands for the sole reason this ancient artifact Breidablik just so happened to choose her out of every other living being. Her. Why, she questioned, as she placed her hand upon the artifact. A weak and scared girl like her was no hero, certainly no "great" one at that.

"Kiran, may I come in?" Robin? His voice sounded just outside the opening of the tent.

Oh how wonderful. Robin, an experienced tactician, would see her in this state. He would lose all respect for her. The foretold great hero of legend, the summoner, must never have a moment of weakness. Yet here she was moping in a chair. 

"Sure, come in..." she answered, not having a clue on how to deny his request with appearing... suspicious.

The first summoned hero entered her tent after her word allowed him. No desire existed in Kiran to meet his gaze, less he see the truth. Unfortunately for Kiran, Robin trained for years to pick up on the slightest hints given off by the enemy. Comrades were no different with these hints. He grabbed a chair on the opposite side of the room, placing it by her side. He sat down, thinking for a moment on how to word what he wanted to say to her.

"Kiran," Robin began, "from our departure from the battlefield, you have acted differently. The mess hall is offering sweets and drink, though here I find you hiding in the commander's tent with an owl. Not that I deny that he is a fine companion, but it does not seem that you two are spending much quality time together."

"I..." Kiran trailed, "don't like sweets?"

Robin gave her a face full of doubt. "Even if believe this to be true, I feel as if you would be doing something much different than sulking in this room." Kiran responded to his words by dripping her head lower in shame. "You are bothered by what occurred with the masked man, correct?"

She let out a disgruntled noise. "Is it that obvious to you?"

No, but his first guess was proved fact by her response. "Your strategy before he appeared was strong. We developed a great approach. However, events out of any tactician's control can happen. You must always be ready for it, even if it comes by surprise."

If Robin planned to cheer her up, this lecture was not the best method. 

"I know you're probably thinking, this is more of a lecture than a pick me up," Robin added.

Dang, he read minds, too? What kind of hero was he? 

"Nevertheless," he continued, "if you don't hear this, you won't improve. What happened was out of your control because we had no information on this masked man or that he would appear as suddenly as he did," Robin paused again, forming together his thoughts more clearly. "But you were caught off guard. You put your life in danger and if we did not react as we did, you might not be here right now."

Ever word he spoke, Kiran grew more angry than depressed. Breidablik chose her, not the other way around. If she had a choice, she would be sound in her bed at home, enjoying the evening instead of dreading it. This world's time operated seemingly opposite to hers; before Anna called her to Zenith, she planned to retire to bed. When she arrived, it was just after dawn. As tired as she felt and with what she had experienced in mere hours, she was in no mood to hear a lecture on her poor performance in a role which she had very little experience.

Robin smiled internally on her growing annoyance. All according to his plan. This was no time to stop, either.

"You can't let that happen again," he bluntly ended.

Enraged, Kiran arose from her chair that acted as the chains containing her in self pity. Her anger influenced her to tear the cowl back from hiding her face. Robin found himself pleased by her reaction; the opportunity to grow was now available to her. Although Kiran's eyes retained a hint of red from a previous bout of sadness, she locked her eyes with Robin.

"What gives you the right to say that to me!?" she shouted. "You're such a perfect guy, made for this job. Well, I wasn't. I bet you don't have anything negative in your resumé!"

Robin let out a sigh. Time to tell a story... A memory he never liked to recall. "I have plenty..." He held his hands together, resting his chin upon them. "I was surprised during a crucial battle. My mistake cost my commander and dear friend's sister to sacrifice herself, as well as the deaths of the women chosen to rescue her."

Him opening up to her like this calmed her fury for a slight time. "What happened?"

"All was going exceedingly well. Chrom--my commander--his sister had been captured by our enemy. They wanted for no other reason than her dead; their king was madder than a beast. We pushed through their lines of defenses and reinforcements with ease. When all seemed in place, I... signaled the rescue." He paused. This was more difficult to confess than he thought in his mind. "The enemy had a trump card in their hand. I had not known that one of their higher ups had the ability to summon the Risen. They surrounded the pegasus knights, killing all three." Robin ran a hand through his hair. "Emmeryn... she thought of nothing but peace and spoke with the citizens of our enemy before she... jumped. She wished an end to the violence."

"Robin, that's so sad..." Kiran sympathized.

Robin returned his eyes to meet hers. Kiran saw the sadness hidden in them, yet his expression was not at all sad. "I had no prior memory before meeting Chrom, and you were forced to burden a heavy destiny. I learned from my tactical failure and continued with Chrom in the trials we would face together with our fellow Shepherds. I believe that you will, too. That's why I want to make you an offer."

An offer? 

"As fellow tacticians, I feel... a strange kinship to you, of sorts. Not many understand what it means to undertake this job. Therefore, I propose that we study strategies together; you can learn from me and I from you, Kiran."

Still learning? At his level? "Robin," she stuttered, "what could I possibly teach you?"

He chuckled. "You never stop learning new strategies, Kiran. You'll find that out soon enough." He held out his left hand to her. "So...?"

Kiran shook his hand faster than Robin predicted. "Okay. If you mentor me, I might be able to do this." She let go of his hand. "But... you're right. I didn't ask for any of this, but I really do want to help. Breidablik must have good reason for choosing me. I'll stop moping on things out of my control. Thank you, Robin."

Unaware to Kiran, Alfonse stood just outside the tent's leather walls. Anna had sent him to recover her and Robin to embark on their mission. He had not listened to the entirety of their conversation, but heard enough. Kiran may be the great hero spoken in legends, but in this instance, Alfonse understood that she was an imperfect human being like any other. She felt these pressures as much as he did in this war. 

Enough thought. He worried for his sister dearly. He announced his entrance to the pair and welcomed himself inside. "Ready to depart?"

A small new ray of confidence burned inside Kiran. She still kept her fears and regrets; nevertheless, Kiran wanted to do her part and learn. This choice was not hers but she was in Zenith now, fighting for Askr and the freedom of otherworldly heroes like Robin. He made her realize everyone here shouldered their heavy expectations, not just her.

With a clenched, but determined, risen fist, Kiran took a step closer to Alfonse. "Yes, let's waste no more time. To the World of Mystery!" 

The gateway to the World of Mystery lied a mile off from the Askran campsite. Resembling a literal rip in space and time, Kiran barely understood what she witnessed. Light bent around the gateway, distorting any view on the background near it. She recalled Anna stating that Askran royals had the power to open these gateways while Emblian royals closed them. How did such power come to them? By the gods of Zenith? Perhaps she would question Alfonse on it later.

On their arrival, Anna approached the gateway, standing to the side of it as she readied to address the party. The only one really shocked by all of this was Kiran. She made it pretty obvious by her bug eyes. To think, she must have arrived out of one of these as well, Kiran pondered with awe. Anna still stood with them, so these gateways had no "sucking in" characteristics... 

"Everyone," Anna loudly began, "Princess Sharena surely lies just beyond this gateway. However, so is the enemy, awaiting our arrival, no doubt. I fear Embla may have heroes under their control. Let us be cautious."

In the ancient texts in the Askran castle library, the World of Mystery homed countless heroes. This world was the first journeyed to by the royalty of Zenith long ages past. The Hero-King Marth protected his realm from a great evil with the help of his friends. If Embla controlled any of these heroes, the small band from Askr faced a difficult mission.

Anna lead the band through gateway, which to Kiran's amazement was as if they simply walked into another room through a door. The ease of the trip made Kiran question if they had truly left the World of Zenith; however, she noticed the air felt uniquely different from the other side of the gateway. No mistake. A new world.

Kiran ended up the last to pass through the gateway. She noticed Anna and Robin bent down on their one knees as they examined the grass. Had Princess Sharena left tracks for them to follow? Kiran, the amateur tactician, walked carefully over to join their discussion; she thought now was a good time as any to learn how to pick up on these hints. 

In certain areas of the grass, the blades lightly lied in the shape of a shoeprint crushed to the dirt. An outsider of this world entered through the gateway recently alone. That must mean these tracks belong to the princess. Still standing tall above Anna and Robin, she glanced at the path the princess walked through the grass. She followed them with her own two feet, straying not far from the others until... nothing? 

"Guys," she said waving to them, "these footprints end up vanishing. The princess can't fly, right?" She meant that as a mere jest.

Her comrades looked at one another with baffled faces. Princess Sharena rode no pegasus here; she walked as indicated by the tracks showing human-like footprints. No sign of hoove marks or pegasi feathers, either.

"Are you certain?" Alfonse, as curious as the others, decided to take a look for himself. "Hmm, you're right, Summoner, but this makes no sense... Wait!" Something was amiss. He grasped at the sword at his side, edging closer to Kiran. In the faint distance, a flapping noise sounded in their ears. It steadily increased in volume at an alarming rate. "Brace yourself, we are no longer alone here!"

Breidablik tensed and trembled on Kiran's belt. Without her controlling the artifact, it projected the nearby terrain, zooming in on their location. Kiran noticed an unusual image just above them in the skies.

"Prince Alfonse, a dragon is coming right for us!" she shouted but it was a few moments too late for a warning. 

From the clouds above, a large winged dragon drove down. He bore the reddest of battle armour. A rider rode on this fearsome beast's back, too cloud in red. She had eyes locked on Alfonse and Kiran. Robin attempted to slow the speed of the dragon's descent with a few fires of magic, but all shots missed. This foe was a formidable dragoon.

Alfonse knew at this speed, he had very few seconds to counter before it claws meet their flesh. He released his blade from its sheath and held his shield high, preparing to deflect any swipe from the beast. As the dragon spiraled closer, Alfonse swung his blade towards the dragon's legs. However, he missed as the dragoon commanded the beast to fly pass the prince. The dragon aimed not to attack but grab. Before Alfonse had the chance to react, the dragon's powerful and long tail wrapped around Kiran's waist and prepared to ascend high into the sky. 

Alfonse kicked off from dirt in an attempt to grab onto its tail end before it was too late. He thought none of his actions through. His sole thought...

"Kiran!" he yelled, barely making the jump to the tail. He held on weakly to the tail with his left arm, his other hand holding his blade. "Hang on--"

The dragon ascended into the sky, twisting and turning violently as it tried to flick Alfonse off its tail. Alfonse felt his hold slipping but he would not let the summoner be taken away by the enemy. He feared if he lost his grip and the dragon ascended much high, the injuries would be great. Even so, that fact mattered little to him right now. 

Suddenly, the dragon stopped flying higher, instead the dragoon commanded it to remain at this height in the air. The dragoon locked her gaze on Anna and Robin, who could not take the risk to fire off any more magic with his comrades on the dragon. 

"Begone, outsiders! I am Minerva, Princess of Macedon!" the dragon's rider yelled, finally announcing her name. "I am bound to serve the Emblian Empire, and the imperial princess, Veronica, has given me an order. She has commanded that I imprison any who bear the Askran emblem that enter from the gateway! If you do not wish to end up like this one here, return to your world!"

"Please, Princess Minerva," Alfonse shouted, still slipping from the dragon's tail, "My name is Alfonse, the prince of Askr! We came for my sister! Release my companion and we can..." He slipped down to the very end of the tail. "We can release from your contract with Embla!!"

Minerva scoffed. She was to listen to a prince who failed to defend his comrade? Too risky to put her life and her own comrades in danger betting on a weak prince's empty words. "I am under contract to obey Princess Veronica!!" She revealed her weapon, a large battle axe, from its bonds on her dragon's armour plates. "There is only ONE way to release me." She aimed it at the prince. "Prove you are stronger."

He winced, his muscles sore from his continued struggle to hold on to the beast. "We must resolve this with a battle!?"

Minerva answered him with silence. She commanded her dragon to fling him off; she had wasted enough time talking with them. The dragon jerked its powerful tail, throwing Alfonse off of it like a mere fly. It rose again with Minerva's command and disappeared back into the clouds. He barely lifted himself up from the dirt, stumbling due to the shock of the fall damage to his body. He raised his head to witness Minerva and her dragon taking Kiran with them.

"Alfonse!" Kiran desperately struggled in the dragon's grip. "L-Let go of me, you stupid lizard!!"

No use. She vanished into the clouds.

Stumbling on his feet, he slammed his sword into the ground before his knees finally gave out. He failed. He lost the summoner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will the party rescue Kiran? Was Sharena captured by Minerva, too? 
> 
> ...Find out next time on Fire Emblem Z!!!!!


	5. Chapter 5

Cold. The smell of mold... Every muscle in her body ached like an elephant rammed her. It hurt to move her arms. She lifted her face from what she noticed to be a dusty stone floor. How did she wind up here...?

...Hold on! Princess Minerva and her dragon! Where!? And... Alfonse! How badly hurt was he? 

Kiran's nerves became terribly shot. Breidablik... good, she still had it. Lucky her captor neglected to take it from her. The holographic projection would tell her about the area and escape. 

"Hey, you're awake! Oh, how wonderful!" sounded a very nearby feminine voice.

Confused, she finally noticed that a young woman dressed in familiar armour sat on the floor behind her. The Askran emblem proudly displayed itself on near her chest. Wait, a young woman with the Askran emblem?

"Princess Sharena...?" Kiran asked, her voice dry.

"You know me!?" she exclaimed. "I knew you were from Askr just by your outfit!" She grinned, happy purely by her assumption being proved correct. "So, since you know my name, tell me yours!"

How was the princess so cheerful? No doubt the two were locked in here with no way out. This cell barely held the standards for a commoner, let alone a princess.

"Kiran" she answered. "I came here with Anna and your brother to find you..."

"Oh my gosh, you did? I feel so embarrassed being found like this..." she laughed.

So sunny faced, this princess of Askr. Kiran pulled herself from the floor to stand on her sore legs. No matter the pain, she had to bring the princess home. She withdrew Breidablik from its holster to display the current terrain projection.

"That old artifact!!" Sharena stood up so fast, she might have well as hopped. "Anna told me she was going to try and summon the great hero from legend... Oh my gosh, is it you? It is, isn't it? Wow!! ...And hey, I didn't know it could do that!! Is it some kind of magic, is this where we are!? No way!!"

Oh boy. So many questions. The sister of Prince Alfonse-- no way Kiran would guess that on her first try. 

Kiran breathed in deep. "Yeah, I suppose... I am, um, kinda. And yeah, Breidablik can show us what's around us. Its real purpose is, well, if I just had those little rainbow orbs..."

Summoning: Breidablik's true power. If Kiran had the ammo, a hero would be the perfect solution to this problem. Sharena surely came to this world armed with a weapon and their captor likely confiscated it. Kiran, unfortunately for them, had no weapon experience due to Breidablik being as useless as a piece of stale bread in battle. Considering Sharena obviously has not tried lock-picking the cell door, that idea threw itself out the window. With no prison guard around to watch them at this moment; the perfect opportunity lied in front of her to figure a plan of escape. Minerva, and if the dragoon had companions, would check back on this cell. Think fast, Kiran... 

"Wait, did you say rainbow orbs?" Sharena curiously questioned and dug her left hand into one of her pockets. "I found some pretty stones playing with the cutest owl back home. I thought about having them crafted into a bracelet! But... if that old thing can use them, then you're welcome to have them, Kiran!" Sharena showed the contents of her pocket to Kiran. Her hand held seven tiny orbs, just like the ones Kiran remembered using to summon Robin.

"Yes, can I use those!?" Kiran begged, her face lighting up. Sharena happily handed them over to her, and Kiran loaded five orbs into the artifact. Five were needed the last time; Kiran took no chances wasting the other two if it was not required.

Sharena starred at her companion carefully waiting for why exactly she needed these random stones. Breidablik's true purpose, she said... Sharena's mouth formed an "O." A summoning!

Kiran raised the holy artifact, aiming towards an empty corner in their cell. She placed all hopes in her luck to call upon a hero who would help them break free. Everything rode on this one summon. Whispering, she wished to Breidablik to help her: to escape with Sharena, return to Askr, and reunite with her comrades. Determination filling her, Kiran fired Breidablik.

A portal appeared instantly, a large muscular figure jumped out as the portal disappeared as quickly behind him. He wielded an enormous war hammer with its top end hanging over his shoulder. Obviously, he questioned the method by which he arrived to this particular location so suddenly. 

"I-I'm sorry for bringing you here, but please, my companion and I need your help. We're imprisoned in this cell by the enemy. I only ask you to help us break free...!" Kiran begged, trying her best to sound professional despite her inexperience shining through to anyone's eyes.

The man paused a moment, not answering her plea. He twisted his head to see what kind of person demanded his help, yanking him from his home. His rugged face decorated by a thick mustache made Kiran slightly at unease. He seemed to be a grumpy man with no happy bone him. If anything, Kiran thought, he would attack her for forcing him here just to break them out of their cell.

"Bwahahahaha!" bellowed the man, his voice deep and manly, "You young ladies need my help, do you? Say no more!" He spat on both his hands before taking his large hammer in both palms. 

He stood facing a section of the cell's barred wall. He chuckled; these rusty bars would crumble from one blow from his hammer. Getting ready to swing at the bars, he slammed his hammer down on the dusty stone floor, bringing up a short-lived dusty cloud around it. And then... he flexed his muscles, his biceps showing from his sleeveless shirt. "Bwaahh! Yaaahhh!" he yelled.

"Please, we have little time, uh--" Kiran begged, but stopped as she did not ask the man's name. All this noise surely had alerted someone by now. Checking on the projection... time was short.

"Call me Bartre, little lady!" He exclaimed as a bellowing laughter followed. With his mighty hammer, he swung once into the bars, birthing an opening in them. "Alright!! All you need is muscle!! C'mon, girls, I'm busting y'all out of here!!"

"Kiran, the woman that took my lance left it over there, in the room just beyond the bars." Sharena informed her. "I'll recover it and we'll be a force unstoppable!!"

The princess escaped the cell first, Kiran following her, with their new comrade Bartre taking the rear. Sharena hurried and reunited with her beloved lance. It adorned a pink gem at the bladed top, in the dead center. Kiran kept the projection hovering next to her; this gift from Breidablik gave them an advantage over their enemies. 

"Princess Sharena, stand with your lance at the door, an enemy comes, wielding a staff," she warned. "Bartre, get ready to back her up."

"No sneak attack today!" she spoke cheerfully obeying Kiran's command.

The door creaked open; the person who entered met with the tip of Sharena's lance. True to Kiran's readings of the projection, an enemy armed with a long staff attempted to enter the room. An easy defeat; total checkmate, Kiran smirked. 

Indeed, a staff user met face to face with the tip of Sharena's lance. Still, the enemy managed yet to surprise Kiran. A girl much younger than her, stood at the door instead of a armoured dragoon. She wore a simple white dress and had hair of red. She resembled Minerva... Her face full of innocence yet, she glared daggers into them. Kiran stuttered to issue a further command...

"Y-You can't be out of your cell!" the young girl screamed, attempting to aim her staff at them but Sharena pushed her lance closer, just below her chin.

"Can't let you do that, sorry!" Sharena warned "sweetly." "So, please surrender, hero of Mystery. As princess of Askr, I can release you from Embla's contract but only if you admit defeat."

"No," the girl shook her head, "If you people do that, my sister will left to be punished by Princess Veronica!"

Sharena looked at Kiran; her face silently asked for her opinion. The plan was to escape back to Askr; nevertheless, another vow of the Order of Heroes of Askr was to free heroes from Embla's enslavement. Kiran accepted how to handle this situation.

"How do you release her, Sharena?" Kiran asked.

Sharena moved her gaze to the girl's body. "I have to strike at the chains intertwined in her outer aura. They're invisible to anyone but Zenith royalty. Anyone can strike them and the chains will take the blow, breaking the contract, but only after they surrender to you. Embla will find out as soon as we do; that's the only bad part..."

"Yeah, and if you do, my sister--" the girl shouted but Sharena held her lance firm at the neck.

To escape saving everyone meant fighting and freeing the enemy... This complicated the plan. Kiran thought of her comrades and how they would react to this situation. These heroes were on the side of Embla, however unwillingly through an enslaving contract. A second's pause and Kiran made her decision. As the tactician she would not falter. 

Kiran prepared to inform Sharena of her choice until she was interrupted by the loud sounds of fighting on the lower floors, roaring from the room's open window. Bartre leaned out the window, seeing a group of three battling two pegasus knights at the base of the stone fortress fighting their way to force themselves inside the entrance. He caught onto the familiar armour and emblem shared by his female companions in the room. 

"Ladies, look like your rescue party has arrived!!" he loudly exclaimed still watching the battle. "Whoooo!! Yaaaahhh!!! You get them, little buddies!!"

"Kiran?" Sharena asked.

"We're releasing her," Kiran answered with the decision she had planned to speak before the noise interrupted.

"Please, no!" with teary eyes, the girl begged.

Kiran stepped forward. "I promise that we will free your friends and your sister before we leave. On my life, I give my word. The Order of Heroes frees heroes; we don't abandon them for our own self-gain... uh, um, did I get that right, Princess Sharena?

Sharena responded with a smile and shared it with the girl at the end of her lance. "Yup! On my name as princess of Askr, I vow to free your friends and your sister. Please, trust us. The quicker you do, the faster we can! So, what do you say?"

The girl switched her gaze back and forth between Kiran and Sharena. Either choice seemed to be the wrong one for her and her companions; yet the one presented to her by these Askrans gave them the chance at freedom from Embla... 

"Okay..." she replied, "I-I'll trust you...!"

On the girl's decision, Kiran and Sharena exchanged a quick nod. Sharena pulled her lance back and thrusted it forward, aimed at the girl's heart. Kiran closed her eyes. The sound of a shattered spell rang through their ears. Sharena requested that until the fighting ceased, she stay in this safe room. At a different time and place, perhaps the red haired girl face would shine with joy from her release of Embla.

To ensure the return of her smile, their small band from the Order of Heroes had to hurry and free the rest of the Emblian enslaved heroes in the fortress. Kiran and Sharena exchanged readied faces. The two ladies, however, first had to drag their new burly comrade Bartre away from the window. He seemed too overly content watching their fellow comrades and the captured Mystery heroes trade blows. The door from this cell room led into a condensed corridor of descending stairs; the stone walls decorated themselves with dimly lit torches. The sound of the fighting from the base floor echoed through the corridor.

Kiran gulped. Breidablik's projection of the base floor showed all of their comrades in the mist of battle against the heroes. To their luck, their comrades rendered two other heroes whom rode pegasi unable to fight. Breidablik displayed their status as harmless with broken weapons. Still, the remaining enemy, Minerva proudly held her ground on her dragon. None of her comrades were managing to knock her down. The new summoner had little time to think of a strategy... This cold and dusty old stone fortress helped not with that pressure. Its closely compacted walls triggered a sense of claustrophobia in her...

Wait. Minerva rode on a winged beast inside a tightly enclosed building. This gave her little room to maneuver through the field of battle. From the state of the room Sharena and Kiran were contained, this structure reeked of instability. If the base floor had a weak spot on the ceiling...

"Princess Sharena, Bartre, I might have an idea," she voiced, reaching the bottom of the stairs, "but I'll need you guys to keep me safe, okay?"

"I can do that!" Sharena answered.

"No one will get through these muscles!" Bartre bellowed with a flex; the two ladies harmonized their sighs.

Their current positioning at the bottom of the stairs remained hidden to all engaged in fighting. 

"Kiran, we could try and ambush her," Sharena suggested.

"We need to even our odds out there first. If she stays in the air, she'll have an advantage" Kiran replied. She directed her attention to the projection. She needed to contact Robin; she touched her down on his simulated image; hopefully he would hear her voice. 

The fellow tactician hero remained behind his comrades. The enemy preoccupied herself with countering assaults from Anna and Alfonse. Robin had the opportunity to fire off spells without much pressure from the dragoon. Still, this fighting dragged on longer than Robin predicted. They needed to end it quickly and complete the rescue mission.

"Robin! It's Kiran, can you hear my voice?" 

He froze at the sound of her voice ringing in his ears. If she was using Breidablik, she had to be safe somewhere nearby... "Kiran!?" 

"I have a plan. You're the only one who can do it. I need you to fire at the ceiling somewhere above the enemy. The weight would incapacitate the dragon's ability to fly if successful. Do you think your tome is powerful enough to do that?"

"Yes," he responded, examining his surroundings with eyes darting from stone to stone in the ceiling. Any slight deformity in the slab would work; the difficult task in this plan would be luring the enemy. "I'll need a distraction first, Kiran! Without it, she'd surely dodge it in time..."

A distraction... Minerva seemed at ease fighting all three of them at once. None of them on the field would have a good opportunity to allow Robin to cast a spell into the ceiling. What about someone off the field to use as bait? Sharena, Bartre, and herself. Who to send?

"He needs a distraction, does he?" Bartre spoke, a smirk growing on his face. He removed the large hammer resting over his shoulders and held it strong in front. Before Kiran uttered a word of argument, Bartre sped off from their position in the direction of Minerva. "Yaaaaahhhhhh!!"

Her heart-- it burst straight out of her chest. Bartre charged head forward into a skilled warrior on a on armoured dragon. With the little she knew of Bartre besides his brute strength, Kiran struggled to predict the result from his brash action. 

The burly man shouted out all the air in his lungs in his attempt to follow Kiran's plan. The increasing of his voice temporarily froze the blades of the fighters, friend and foe. Minerva recalled capturing two Askran women, not this hammer wielding man. How did he manage his way in the fortress and behind her line of defense? She ordered her dragon to fly in his direction; she held her battle axe high.

Perfect; the bait hooked the dragoon princess right into their trap. Robin readied his magic; he targeted a particular crack in the ceiling. He waited for Minerva to drag her dragon below it. The dragoon commanded the dragon to dive into Bartre; at that moment, a bolt of lightning shot from behind her and caused an explosion at the ceiling stones directly above her head.

A collection of stone slabs, forcefully torn from their bonding, collided into the dragon and its rider. The dust filling the room kicked up at the harsh impact between the floor, the dragon, and the remaining stones that missed the dragon. The roars of the injured dragon bounced off the walls. The stones held down its wings with their weight; the dragon squirmed as it panicked. Its armour bore several cracks from the impact. Minerva herself dug her way out of the rubble. Her chest plate and shoulder pads barely held on to her body, chips of her red armour falling off around her. Overwhelmed by the shock of the impact, she collapsed to her knees to the side of her slowly tiring dragon. Her axe--missing somewhere amongst the rubble.

Alongside Sharena, Kiran swiftly reunited with Bartre. Their fellow comrades joined them as the group surrounded Minerva, weapons at the ready. She scoffed, spatting on the ground. Her body, bruised and battered from the fall kept her from standing. 

"I am bested yet you Askrans still aim your blades at me," she spoke with such venom in her tone, "I surrender. End this."

"Princess Minerva, hear me out," Sharena asked, lowering her lance, "we do not want to harm you, your sister, or your friends... We released your sister from her contract and if you would allow us to do the same with you..."

Minerva's head rose up, eyes glaring at the princess. "Maria!? You did no harm to her!? If you did--" A violent cough interrupted her sentence.

"Of course we didn't! She is where we were held, perfectly fine," Sharena pleaded, "Listen to us, Princess Minerva..."

She laughed weakly. "You lie, what warrior lets their enemy live...?"

"Sister!" cried a youthful feminine voice. The sounds of running followed immediately. The red haired girl threw herself to her Minerva's side. With her staff, she tried to heal her sister's wounds.

"M-Maria...?" Minerva stammered, eyes widened by shock. Maria showed no cuts or even bruises. Her white dress in pristine condition.

"Minerva, please stop fighting... This was... all my fault. It's my fault Embla bound us! And now you are hurt..." Maria wept, tears rushing down her face like a powerful waterfall.

The Askran band of warriors all lowered their weapons. No threat existed here anymore. 

"Let us release you and your friends. That way, Embla has no more control over your souls," Alfonse said, repeating the offer.

"You bested us in battle..." Minerva breathed out heavily, "I surrender and we will accept your judgement..." She coughed once more, "I must tell you something..."

"Sister, let me, you must save your strength!" Maria scolded, before locking eyes with the Askran prince. "This all... this was a distraction. Princess Veronica plans an ambush on your castle."

"What!?" Everyone exclaimed in harmony.

Maria nodded, "If you leave now, you should be able--"

"Heroes of Mystery, thank you for your warning," Anna interrupted with a serious tone; her facial expression made it seem as if she battled with herself internally, chiding herself over allowing Embla to plot an ambush. "We will be on our way after we free you. I suggest keeping a low profile away from the gateway for a while."

With her surrender, the Anna and the Askran siblings each freed one hero from their binding chains. The heroes of Mystery gathered together so Maria had chance to heal all their wounds. Looking at the scene, Kiran felt a sting of guilt hit her. Embla enslaved these heroes, forcing them from their lives to act as pawns in a war that was not theirs. 

She noticed out of the corner of her left eye that Alfonse and Anna were happily welcoming Sharena back into the group. Despite the situation, at least this mission had been successful. Kiran smiled, yet a small feeling of sadness filled her that they had not...

"Kiran," Anna spoke, patting her on the back, "don't do that again. We can't lose our only summoner on the same day you arrived." Her words, although spoken a bit harsh, were sincere. "By the way, who is the new... wall of muscle? His little distraction move was brash but it worked, so I can't exactly complain..."

"Oh!" Kiran exclaimed, "His name is Bartre. If not for him, Princess Sharena and I would still be in that cell."

"Looks like I owe him thanks for helping my soldiers," Anna said before walking over to Bartre, "Hey, mustached guy! So you were the one yelling at us from that window!" Kiran guessed Anna planned on catching him up to speed on this whole war.

Before the Askrans prepared their departure, Maria offered to heal their wounds, as well. Although Anna wished to leave as soon as possible, she allowed the party this brief moment of rest. It would be unwise to run into another battle with them still licking their fresh wounds. They were aware of the ambush a head of time; a small rest to heal would be acceptable.

As one of the ones the least harmed, Maria healed Kiran's bruises last. Minerva, when throwing her in that cell, was not exactly gentle with her, especially with the way she dragged her here via a rough dragon tail strangling. Finally given some rest, the pain and exhaustion finally hit her. Her eyes became as heavy as bricks, her head aching... No, she had to go on. Only she was capable of Breidablik. Even if without having the orbs to summon, its projection was a trump card for the Order. They needed her. 

"When will this day end..." she muttered to herself, the words barely audible. Maria, meanwhile, continued healing her wounds on her left arm. 

"Summoner," a voice she recognized rang in her ears, "if I may..."

"Prince Alfonse...?" she said, rubbing her face with her spare arm. Her overworked senses woke up, barely.

"We succeeded in my sister's rescue, thanks to you," he bluntly told her, complete gratitude in his voice. "I am truly grateful." 

What was this feeling growing in her chest? Pride? "I, uh... no, no! Prince Alfonse, I ended up getting captured by the enemy. You all came through for us, finding out where this place was. We just lent a hand at the end was all..."

He shook his head, his eyes full of disappointment. At first, Kiran believed he was disappointed in her. No, the disappoint he felt was towards himself. "My apolgises, if I were stronger then, I could have prevented Princess Minerva from capturing you. I lost my gripe; I'm ashamed."

She waved both of her arms in front of her face without thought of Maria. "No, you--!"

"M-Miss! Your arm!" Maria yelped.

Whoops. Kiran apologized profusely to Maria before returning her bruised arm. Nervously, she dragged her eyes back to the prince. 

"Are you... were you okay after that fall?" she asked. "I was... really worried about you."

"Anna lent me a vulnerary to dull the pain. What mattered was finding Sharena and you," he replied. "But, you need time to heal. As soon as you are ready, meet us outside." The crack of a small smile formed on his face before he turned his back, heading out join the others.

"O-Okay..." she stuttered, watching him leave before finally vanishing out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An ambush the Askr castle? And at night, nonetheless. The Order has quite a task ahead of them.  
> Hopefully they make it in time!
> 
> I hoped I wrote Maria and Minerva true to their canon personalities. My only experience with them is from FEH. ^^'


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so it continues...
> 
> Will this day ever end for our unfortunate summoner?

A true pinnacle of architecture, the Askran castle beautifully overlooked a sea of clouds high on top the mountains. At least... Kiran wished that the truth in its current state. Her current party rode via pegasi on route to the castle, the quickest method possible. Even with help from the pegasi stabled at the Mystery gateway campsite, they were unable to arrive before the Emblian ambush. With the late evening now upon them, the moon of this world shined brightly, illuminating all under the bask of its white light.

Kiran, untrained to ride a pegasus on her own, let alone a horse, rode with Alfonse. Anna and Sharena shared mounts with their fellow comrades, as well; Robin partnered with Anna and Bartre with Sharena. These pairings were suggested by Robin, as it balanced their offensive and defensive ability in the event that enemy soldiers target them while mounted. And as most pegasi trusted only females to ride them, each male of the group had to be paired. 

On the ground, Emblian soldiers clashed with Askrans soldiers. The front gate had not fallen as it was guarded by archers on the walls. Of all the battles Kiran witnessed thus far, this one stuck out in her mind amongst the rest. Currently, the battle looked in slightly in their favour from what Kiran assumed from bird's eye view. Still, betting on the fight to continue this way was unwise. Kiran picked at her brain for a strategy to end the fighting.

"Summoner, we must make haste and lend our hand," Alfonse told her, an obvious mix of fury and anxiety in his voice. An attack on his home, no less--the prince had a right to be restless. His growing sense of unease esculated since their departure from the World of Mystery. "Tell me a good spot to land. We will push through and drive them back whence they came!"

Charge right into the fray? No. It was impossible to fight off every enemy blade. A better approach, a way to end this conflict faster...

"W-Wait, Alfonse! I think, instead, we should search for their commander and take him out. Shouldn't that cause a loss of morale or something?" 

Her warm hand grazed his shoulder. Tense muscles relaxed under her support. He recalled back to his first lesson as a greenhorn: his father explaining the realities of war to him and his sister. A calm mind. He had to think rationally for the greater cause--trust in the strength of the soldiers defending the walls.

"Are you able to pinpoint his location on Breidablik's projection?" he replied, composing himself.

"Let's see..." Kiran muttered, checking every inch of land below via the projection. 

If Embla brought a larger army, this task would prove difficult for her. The current situation allowed her to spot the commander amidst his soldiers. Oddly enough, the enemy commander, with a handful of men, guarded a young woman. Breidablik reported her as unarmed; she was not a solider? Wait, might this woman be Embla's Princess Veronica? She had joined the battle? And the commander of her army personally defended her? Why?

"I've spotted them, the commander and, I think, the Emblian princess with three soldiers protecting her," Kiran informed her royal comrade and pointed him to an area below them not far off from the castle's front gates. "There's an archer down there; we need to get him out of the way."

The prince unshealthed his blade. The gem in its hilt glowed a radiant blue. With his spare arm, he kept his grip on the pegasus' reins. Seeing he was ready to comfort the enemy, Kiran quickly informed the others of their plan. The prince and the summoner lacked the strength to overwhelm a group of this size and skill alone. Their pegasus would fly them in as the front line, the others following. If luck favoured them, the archer would be easy to land an ambush attack.

"Hang on tight, Summoner," Alfonse told her, gripping tighter on the reins, "Yaahh!" With his command, the pegasus dove speedily downwards to the ground. The speed of the descent violently blew back Kiran and Alfonse's hair. If she had not a tight grip around him, his cape would smack her in the face like a jealous suitor.

For Kiran, her heart rate increased in pace as time slowed its own. She wondered if Alfonse felt her heart hammering against her chest. Each flap of the pegasus' wings moved as if passing through water. Some of its feathers detached themselves from its wings, flying behind Kiran into the sky. Soon, she and Alfonse would make contact with the enemy, the commander with soldiers and the Emblian princess, on the front line. She trusted Alfonse to succeed in taking out the archer by ambush. Arrows, the greatest enemy to any flying mount--in order for the others to land join them safely, the archer needed to be deposed.

Their timing had to be perfect. The pegasus flew them over top the opposing party, the archer at the rear. Once at a safe height, Alfonse and Kiran leapt off the pegasus' back. When his sword impacted against the archer's body, toppling him, her sense of time returned to its normal pace. The pegasus loudly neighed as it flew off in the distance. 

Immediately after his strike, Alfonse grabbed Kiran by her arm and fell back. The enemy briefly remained in shock at the sudden ambush. How did they know their exact location? 

The remaining soldiers surrounded the Emblian princess; however, she pushed them aside. A blond mounted hero, clad in black armour, commanded his horse to halt by her side. Kiran's gaze darted to his sword, a magnificent blade pulsing a violet aura. The Emblian princess, Veronica, chuckled at their arrival. Unmoved by Alfonse and Kiran's ambush, she revelled in the clashing sounds between the Askran and Emblian soldiers.

She closed her eyes, holding her arms up high as if praising the Gods for this bloodshed. "Scurry my precious little minions... Steal for me. Spread destruction. Kill all who stand in your way..." Smiling a devious grin, Veronica diverted her attention to the Askran pair, particularly Alfonse. "Oh," she spoke so light hearted, "it's you. And after I went through all that trouble to arrange your playdate with that red-headed behemoth. Sweet prince of Askr, your kingdom must fall. Once it's gone, no one will oppose me. Every hero, in every world--they'll all be mine. Every. Last. One."

At the end of her speech, the two other pegasi carrying their comrades arrived. They leapt of their mounts and joined together with Alfonse and Kiran. Their weapons at the ready, they were ready to offer their support. Numbers alone, the odds played in their favor. A tiny flair of confidence reignited in Kiran's heart, although her hands felt embarassingly clammy.

"We won't allow it, Princess Veronica" Alfonse responded. "And I will personally never forget this violation of my kingdom!" He raised his sword at her.

"Withdraw your army," Kiran added, mimicking his tone.

Veronica, at the mere sound of Kiran's voice, became intrigued with her. The legend of the summoner existed in Embla, as well. She recognized the artifact attached to Kiran's belt. Breidablik, she recalled. Oh, how fun her game would become with this wild card now on the table.

"Oh," she voiced, her right palm moved to cup her right check, "who are you? I see you have that silly artifact. Then you must be the legendary summoner. No matter. It simply means that you must be the first to die. Congratulations. Oh... Xander!"

"Xander?" Sharena murmured, "One of the strongest heroes of the World of Conquest? The prince of Nohr?"

Of course a famed, powerful hero was at her beck and call. Was it a bad decision for them to attack Veronica directly? 

Xander, the proud warrior mounted on his horse, replied, "You wish this one slain, Princess Veronica? ...As you wish," he answered, aiming his terrifying blade at Kiran.

Kiran felt her muscles tremble. First to die? Her party formed into a protective wall formation around her. It distracted her from darker thoughts. If only she knew how to fight like them...

"Don't worry." Sharena told the terrified summoner; her powerful lance at the ready. "We'll protect you, Kiran."

"Get ready, everyone. Let's show this rotten princess what the Order of Heroes can really do!" Anna rallied everyone. 

On the end of Anna's words, Veronica clapped her hands. Xander charged with the remaining two soldiers, a swordsman and a troubadour, towards the group of Askrans. Sharena and Alfonse, as well as Anna, answered with their own charge. Bartre and Robin stayed close to Kiran, should the enemy break through their line of defense. The sounds of the clashing metals cried out. Kiran looked to and from Bartre and Robin. Bartre keep his attention to the battle before them; only Robin offered her a quick, comforting nod.

These Emblian soldiers were stronger and more experienced that ones Kiran ran into earlier, even the troubadour proved an annoyance with his support spells. Sharena and Alfonse teamed an assault on Xander, yet he handled the two of them with few errors in his form. Anna played a defensive role against the swordsman; the weapon triangle and her speed played in the odds off her enemy. All of their efforts seemed useless when a troubadour healed her comrades every cut and bruise inflicted upon them. 

Veronica laughed where she stood. Was she pleased by this bloodshed? A mixture of emotions began burning in Kiran's chest. How useless she felt unable to wield a useful weapon, blade or tome. How she despised Veronica's irritating laughter at her comrades' struggle.

"Robin, the only way we're going to win this battle is if you and Bartre do something about the troubadour. And since Xander stands in the way, Bartre can't go alone. Too risky for another distraction tactic..." Kiran spoke, hoping to convince him.

"If either one of us leaves your side, no doubt the enemy would come right at you since you're unable to defend yourself. And at this range, my magic can't reach the troubadour," Robin argued.

Kiran slammed down a foot in protest. "It's my safety weighed against all our lives here, Robin!! They may be holding them off, but that Xander guy looks as if he has more than enough stamina to fight us all night," she pleaded once more with him. "Unless you have a better plan, we need to do this!"

Disgruntledly, Robin sighed. He knew she spoke the truth. With the troubadour in the way, this battle merely stalled out the eventual results. "Fine. The risk has become necessary. We will go as soon as Xander diverts his attention from this direction. I will take the back, while Bartre leads us. Kiran will stay near us in the center. Once we're close enough, I'll cast a spell at Xander to drag his attention to Kiran and me. Bartre, you will run ahead and take out that troubadour. Our friends should provide us with backup. Is that agreeable to everyone?"

Bartre and Kiran nodded. A heavy, apprehensive heartbeat pounded in Kiran's chest; her fears once again encroached up her spine. She breathed in several times to calm herself. She had to trust in everyone's abilities to ensure their success.

"Now!" Robin ordered, seeing Xander jerk his horse around to counterstrike at Sharena at his rear.

Surprisingly, Bartre resisted bellowing a battle cry; he understood the plan required them to go on unnoticed as long as luck granted. Kiran tailed him with Robin in the rear. He readied his magic tome while he ran. 

Changing his attention to trade blows with Alfonse, Xander noticed the trio sooner than Robin had hoped. Xander understood Robin was a threat with that tome; his armour provided little resistance against magic. As predicted, he swatted Alfonse and Sharena like small flies and rode his horse in the mage tactician's direction. His close range to fire a spell was too high of risk for Xander; he had to be deposed immediately.

Robin cursed and pushed his comrades to rush. Bartre needed a closer range to the troubadour for the plan to succeed. 

"R-Robin," Kiran's voice stuttered, "um, any time!!"

Not yet.

"Hey, back there!" Bartre barked.

Almost...

Blue fire appeared below his feet encircling the mage tactician. "Here's how it's done!!" He cried, unleashing a power strike of magic upon Xander; Robin dipped into his energy reserves to unleash his special technique, Bonfire, to increase the ferocity of his spell.

Exactly what Bartre needed. The magic strike had enough brute force behind it to stagger their opponent, throwing his mount into a brief panic, and give Bartre his golden opportunity. The equal trade, unfortunately, exhausted Robin; his heavy breathing indicated his current physical state. He relied on Kiran to balance himself; without her shoulder, he would surely lose his footing. More time was needed to charge that technique. He had pushed himself to his limits to achieve it.

Kiran gulped; they needed Bartre hurry before Xander calmed his horse and received healing support from the troubadour. She intently watched him charge his way to the terrified troubadour. He managed to impact a powerful hammer slam on the horse, throwing the enemy to the ground, defenseless, with no attack tomes on his person.

"Forget about me!?" Sharena roared, charging fiercely towards Xander from where the prince paladin had left her prior.

Despite his wounds, Xander had managed to command his horse to settle before Sharena's leg speed caught her up to the conflict. Xanded tugged at the reins to force his horse to jolt around and deflect Sharena's rear strike with his sword. His horse, fierce and stubborn as its master, reared upwards, kicking its front hooves. Sharena backed herself away from the horse's frontal assault. Once the horse landed, Sharena returned and traded blows with Xander once more. Robin was too exhausted to lend a hand. Sharena realized she alone had to distract Xander from her defenseless comrades.

Meanwhile, Alfonse dashed over to Anna. Together, they promptly defeated Xander's remaining swordsman comrade, two to one. No time to spare, they hurried to join Sharena's fight against Xander. Kiran hardly understood what she was watching play out. A sole man defended off three skilled warriors alone with his stallion. What kind of person was Xander? His command of the battlefield was overwhelming even still.

Where was Bartre, Kiran wondered? Anna and Alfonse joined them from an equal distance away; she expected to hear an ear-ringing battle cry any time now. 

As the fighting continued, Xander's demeanor suddenly changed. Instead of trying to defend and wipe out the Askrans, he now attempted to break through them... and return to Veronica. Why? Kiran summoned Breidablik's projection... Bartre! That muscles for brains giant brought the fight to the Emblian princess, Veronica. 

Alfonse, as well as Sharena and Anna, desperately fought to hold Xander back from escaping. He forced his horse to slam its hooves down and kick its back legs to open a break in the wall the Askrans created. Anna and Sharena fell back, unwilling to risk any injury caused by the horse's strong legs. 

Alfonse stood his ground alone; Xander commanded his horse push through with a gallop. Xander brushed the prince aside with his stead, jolting him to the dirt as the horse continued its gallop over to Veronica and their comrade who threatened her, Bartre.

Kiran immediately resorted to communicating this via Breidablik to Bartre. Xander gained on him; he had little chance of success alone. Thankfully, he obeyed her warning and prepared to defend himself. Anna pushed for everyone able to rush over to rescue their comrade. Robin lifted himself from Kiran's shoulder, his strength returning but his breath still heavy. Together, he and Kiran followed behind the rest of their comrades.

Xander's attention focused on the princess first and foremost. He grabbed her by the waist and planted her behind him on the horse. Once she was safe, Xander raised his blade high at Bartre.

"Ugh, Xander!" Veronica shouted.

"Princess?" he answered her without delay, his sword hand at the ready.

"How dull and boring this fighting has become," she yawned and wrapped her arms and around his waist. "I demand you take me home so I may enjoy a cup of warm tea."

Wait, what? 

Xander uttered no word of argument; he obeyed her command and passed through Bartre.

"Is that foolish princess retreating!?" Anna exclaimed upon their regrouping. 

On that horse, none of them had the chance to catch up and prevent the retreat. The horse galloped south, where the majority of their soldiers remained in battle against Askran metal. Xander planned on informing his soldiers of the retreat before taking the princess safely home.

Standing alongside her comrades, Kiran attempted to understand what happened. Veronica chose to retreat because she was... bored? Not that Bartre nearly threatened her life? Was it a cover up or did she really become bored with the fight she started?

His hands shaking, Alfonse jammed the tip of his sword into the dirt. He breathed out a sigh, soothing some of his frustration. "They flee now but the empire will invade some way or another soon enough. Our efforts here didn't resolve a thing."

Sharena, too, slammed the end of her lance into the ground. Unlike her brother, however, she held back no emotions. "Stubborn girl! I don't understand why can't we just talk through this? These invasions are crazy..." The princess puckered her lips. "Honestly, that Veronica needs to grow up already. Where's her sense of diplomacy? Such. A. Brat!"

"Sharena!" Anna scolded, raising her voice. "Don't let your emotions get the best of you. I expect you to keep it level if you're going to serve in this order. Hostility is their way, not ours."

Sharena lowered her head, "Sure, sure... I mean, of course, Commander Anna..."

"Good," Anna replied before addressing the rest, "they're retreating but we'll lend our hands to the injured. Spread out and remain cautious."

In Kiran's mind, Alfonse's words echoed over and over. "The empire would invade soon enough." The opposing kingdoms were at each other's throats, after all, even if Askr chose a more passive approach. Would they ever be allowed to rest? Kiran began to doubt this; her growing stress threatened to consume her alive at this pace.

She jumped when a hand rested itself on her shoulder. "Thank you for before, Summoner. If not for you, I'd have done something truly reckless."

Oh, the prince was talking to her? Her eyes found Alfonse showing her a grateful smile. She wanted to answer him, but another enemy threatened her: her high fatigue. Her body no longer had the ability to rely on its adrenaline alone. 

And his image became... so blurry.

"And... I owe you an apology, forcing you into this brutal war with us." His words were so... slurred... "But I'm glad you're here as an official member of--"

Her legs collapsed. She fell straight into his chest. She swore he was mouthing some kind of words to her, yet she understood none of it. Her eyelids felt like boulders hurling down from a mountainside.

Darkness--oh so peaceful and comforting. Kiran surrendered to its embrace.


End file.
